National News

Feds Flag 126K in Student Loan Fraud Crackdown

(NEWSER) – Some $829 million in "improper payments," including those involving fraud and clerical errors, went out to Pell grant recipients over the fiscal year that ended in September. Though that's a smaller figure than in the previous two years, it's up 86% from 2007—and the US is trying to root out the problem. Many applicants are applying for cash without planning to attend school at all; officials have flagged 126,000 questionable applicants since January, the Wall Street Journal reports. That's some 1% of aid applicants for the 2013-2014 academic year.